ONE MONTH TO GO! The Central Illinois STEM Fair will be held on Wednesday April 8 5:30-8 pm at the Rochester High School Athletic Complex. Reserve your FREE tickets today at centralillinoisstemfair.eventbrite.com

Another organization that unfortunately wil be unable to attend this year is the National Weather Service foreast office in Lincoln IL. The last two years, meteorologist Ed Shimon would bring his lightning and tornado machines to teach students about weather. www.weather.gov/ilx/

Sometimes a great local STEM organization is unable to exhibit at the Central Illinois STEM Fair. We would like to recoginze one such organization. The Challenger Learning Center at Heartland Community College is an amazing place where students can participate in simulated space missions.

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Illinois Odyssey of the Mind returns to exhibit again at the Central Illinois STEM Fair (Wednesday April 8, 5:30-8 pm at Rochester HS). Learn how this organization uses a problem-solving format to teach students STEM principles. www.illinoisodyssey.org

FEATURED EXHIBIT: FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) has taught high school students for years how to build and program robots to accompish tasks in an innovative coopetition format. And once again Rochester's Robot Rebellion team will be hosting an exhibit showcasing the robots.

FEATURED EXHIBIT: the Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP) is always a fascinating exhibit at the Central Illinois STEM Fair. ITAP's Maker Program combines 3D printing and fabrication with innovative designs to make life easier for Illinois citizens with disabilities or health issues.

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Joshua Smith is a UIS Computer Science faculty member, Director of the Orion Lab at UIS and Innovate Springfield, and teacher for the CACC Engineering in High Tech course. And every year at the Central illinois STEM Fair he has an exhibit that is not to be missed!

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Another organization that has been with us all nine years is the Rochester Public Library! The library has awesome STEM books and materials to borrow and you will get a chance to see what STEM materials are in demand this year at the Central Illinois STEM Fair.

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Every year a surprise college registers to exhibit at the Central Illinois STEM Fair. And this year we are honored to announced that the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs will be exhibiting at the STEM Fair! www.usafa.af.mil

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Lincoln Land Community College always has great exhibits at the Central illinois STEM Fair. And once again the department of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will have an exhibit featuring all the great programs offered including Chemistry!

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Rochester Elementary always shows up big for the STEM Fair. This year the teachers have three exhibits featuring insects, the 2nd grade STEM curriculum, and for the first time music! Students are guaranteed to have a fun time at these great exhibits for the younger crowd!

60 exhibits are now registered for the 2026 Central Illinois STEM Fair! Our latest additions include IJAS Science Fair Student Research Competition, Springfield Urban League's FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, UIS Field Stations at Lake Springfield and Emiquon, and WIU's Chemistry Department!

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Illinois Multirotors returns to the 2026 STEM Fair with a popular first-person view (FPV) drone racing exhibit? Experience flying through a camera attached to a drone and learn how to participate in drone races.

FEATURED EXHIBIT: The Experiemental Aircraft Association (EAA) runs a number of great programs for students interested in aviation. Eagle Flights offer a first-ever flying experience for students. Build and Fly give students an opportunity to build an RC airplane. www.eaa.org

FEATURED EXHIBIT: The Central Illinois STEM Fair always has a large number of exhibits for flying. Let's review the ones that have registered so far. First we have Sangamon Valley RC Flyers. This group flies large model airplanes from their own airstrip south of Lake Springfield.

FEATURED EXHIBIT: With many proposed mega data centers in Central Illinois, we invited a premiere organization for providing factual science-backed information on the environmental impacts of such facilities. Check out first-time exhibitor Prairie Rivers Network! prairierivers.org

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Litchfield is a first time exhibitor and they are going to rock the Central Illinois STEM Fair with an exhibit about the tech in electric guitars! The class at Litchfield literally builds an electric guitar out of cardboard and other materials and components. www.lcusd12.org

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Millikin University returns for the 2026 Central illinois STEM Fair! Millikin has programs in chemistry, biology, math, and preprofessional. Millikin also has engineering tracks where students can end up studying at Washington University in STL. millikin.edu/college-arts...

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Levi, Ray & Shoup, the largest IT services provider in Springfield, will have an exhibit at the 2026 STEM Fair! LRS has a wide variety of IT careers in web development, security services, IT operations, and mainframe output management. www.lrs.com

FEATURED EXHIBIT: There are always a number of healthcare-related exhibits at the Central Illinois STEM Fair, and this year is no different. Lincoln Land Community College's Surgical Technololgy program teaches you how to work with specialized surgical equipment. www.llcc.edu/explore/heal...

FEATURED EXHIBIT: For years Lincoln Elementary School District 27 has participated in the Central Illinois STEM Fair, and this year is no different. The junior high will be featuring its FIRST LEGO League Challenge team as well as its STEM class with an engineering and Spheros exhibit!

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Titan Games of Springfield is a new exhibit for the 2026 Central Illinois STEM Fair. The store will have an exhibit featuring the math involved in Dungeons and Dragons. Be sure to reserve your tickets today and check out Titan Games at www.titangames.com

NEW EXHIBIT FOR 2026! For the first time, Tri-City's Junior High is exhibiting at the Central Illinois STEM Fair! And it is sure to be a good one. The STEM class will be bringing a hovercraft the class built! Register today at centralillinoisstemfair.eventbrite.com

FEATURED STEM EXHIBIT: Every summer Lincoln Land Community College offers numerous science and technology programs through College for Kids. The program will have an exhibit at the STEM Fair so you can find the perfect activity for your family. www.llcc.edu/community-ed...

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Can't decide which science or engineering type is your favorite? Why not try them all? Science Olympiad is the perfect activity to give middle and high school students a taste of all the sciences and a few engineering tasks. illinoisolympiad.org

STEM FAIR FEATURED EXHIBIT: Back for the third time, Franklin Junior High STEM (part of the South County Vipers co-op) is always an entertaining exhibit with enthusiastic students and lots of great tools and technology used in their class!

Excited about the exhibits we have featured so far? Check out the ever-growing list on our website at sites.google.com/view/rochest... Then go ahead and reserve your FREE tickets today at centralillinoisstemfair.eventbrite.com

2026 STEM FAIR FEATURED EXHIBIT: Long-time exhibitor Sangamon Valley Radio Club (SVRC) returns with a great exhibit on one of the most reliable forms of communication. Ask the club about how they have talked to astronauts on the Space Station! svrc.org

2026 STEM FAIR FEATURED EXHIBIT: The Lincoln Land Department of Natural and Agricultural Sciences returns with multiple exhibits featuring the wide variety of sciences available to study. The agriculture technology exhibit is always popular!

2026 STEM FAIR FEATURED EXHIBIT: The Robotics class from Pleasant Plains High School returns with what was a very popular exhibit last year. The class uses the Vex Robotics products to give students an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of robotics design and programming.

2026 STEM FAIR FEATURED EXHIBIT: The Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CeMaST) at Illinois State University to feature its STEM programs including a fantastic opportunity for high school students to do research with college professors. cemast.illinoisstate.edu

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Returning for the third time is the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Science underpins so much of what the Illinois EPA does, and a representative from IEPA will be at the Central Illinois STEM Fair to demonstrate the tools and technology the agency uses. buff.ly/jGztf04

FEATURED EXHIBIT: Also returning for the sixth time is the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program, Springfield Composite Squadron. For ages 12-18, this local program exposes students to many types of STEM including aviation, rocketry, and cyber defense. Learn more www.gocivilairpatrol.com/programs/cad...

FEATURED EXHIBIT: returning to the Central Illinois STEM Fair for the sixth time is the Abraham Lincoln Presedential Library and Musem. STEM meets history as students can explore the evolving technologies of 19th century America. Check out the Civil War Tech lesson plans at buff.ly/dewyMz4

CALLING ALL AREA SCHOOLS! Exhibit your favorite STEM program at the Central Illinois STEM Fair. Ball-Chatham, Talorville, Lincoln, Rochester, D186 and Pleasant Plains do it every year. We have room for more schools. It is free to exhibit and we provide dinner. Register today at buff.ly/th0B7li

REGISTER TODAY! Free tickets to the 9th annual Central Illinois STEM Fair are available at buff.ly/th0B7li